News

iPod Repair Service

By Dennis Lloyd ● Tuesday, September 30, 2003

One of our forum members is offering his services for the repair of iPods.

“Thats right, I am an independent worker folks. I have been fixing these things for quite some time now. As stated, I repair all iPods (depending on what parts are needed) I also buy non-working ones as well! I always have cash on hand in my PayPal account to buy these from people. If you or someone you know needs an iPod fixed please email me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)”

“Well, I started out making repairs when the iPods first came out. I am an electronics engineer at Western Michigan University. I am PayPal verified and will use escrow for the customer’s protection. I provide estimates of repairs and also determine whether the iPod is fixable or not. I have broken iPods laying around here from time to time so I can use them to fix other iPods for people. I run hardware diagnostics on all iPods that come into my possesion and most of the time can either fix them or buy them for a great price.”

Comments

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man, shoulda posted that a couple weeks ago. I broke the LED screen on my iPod (only about 1/3rd of the display was visible), sold it on eBay for cheap and got a new one… oof

Posted by chiller in Irvine, CA on September 30, 2003 at 10:50 PM (CDT)

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im wondering where he gets his parts from. i doubt directly from Apple. he must have an inside connection.

Posted by Jaguares in Irvine, CA on September 30, 2003 at 11:29 PM (CDT)

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He just said he buys used ipods.

Posted by Bob in Irvine, CA on September 30, 2003 at 11:30 PM (CDT)

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lol

Posted by NeeZee in Irvine, CA on October 1, 2003 at 12:36 AM (CDT)

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Could the guy be ex-Apple?

Posted by jogloran in Irvine, CA on October 1, 2003 at 4:34 AM (CDT)

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I just emailed and asked for more details. Also requested a list of references if possible. I would imagine he is probably cheaper than Apple—and maybe MUCH faster, though that is not saying much given Apple’s response to my repair last month!

Posted by doug in Irvine, CA on October 1, 2003 at 7:52 AM (CDT)

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lemme give him my credit card # as well. No thanks, I’ll take OFFICIAL and CERTIFIED repair from APPLE any day.

Posted by Stasyna in Irvine, CA on October 1, 2003 at 2:13 PM (CDT)

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too bad apple repair will charge you so much you might as well just buy a new one…

Posted by chiller in Irvine, CA on October 1, 2003 at 3:29 PM (CDT)

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uuuh I was told by Apple that repairs can’t really be made to ipods - unless it is a software issue. The reason being there are no screws that hold the iPod together. If you send your iPod in to Apple and they find there are hardware issues, they replace the product.

Posted by trinket in Irvine, CA on October 3, 2003 at 6:27 AM (CDT)

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thought I would add to my post above - they replace it for free if it is under warranty. If not, it comes at considerable cost.

Posted by trinket in Irvine, CA on October 3, 2003 at 6:32 AM (CDT)

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Since they replaced the Apple ][, Apple Computer has never wanted any user to easily upgrade or replace their products. This is so they can charge you crazy prices for minor repairs, or to update a component.

I learned this the hard way when my 1G battery crapped out and Apple wanted basically the price of a new iPod to “replace” it.

That was bogus. I got an Archos—ugly as sin but easy to mod and hack, and haven’t looked back. It’s bigger than an iPod but when I need compactness (like out jogging) I use my iRiver anyway—no moving parts so no danger of damage and it’s half the size of a 3G iPod.

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hmmm well like I said - if the warranty is up, then you’re in trouble. If it is still under warranty, then getting it replaced or fixed is not a problem and you don’t have to pay for any repairs/replacements.

It probably cost so much to get your ipod fixed/replaced because once there is something wrong with it, they can’t do anything with it. If iPods could be opened and put back together easily, and parts were available to replace faulty ones, then it wouldn’t be such a pain in the bum to get fixed!

As for the person offering repairs…sounds a bit dodgy to me.

Posted by trinket in Irvine, CA on October 3, 2003 at 11:50 AM (CDT)

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iPod is easy to open and in fact necessary when the battery runs out. My battery lasted just over a year. Got a new one for 50 bucks (Laptops.com) and slapped it in myself using the simple instructions provided. Since then I am far more conservative with things like backlighting.

Posted by iceaxe in Irvine, CA on October 8, 2003 at 12:38 PM (CDT)

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Replacement batteries for the Archos cost $1 each. That’s a lot of juice for very little.

Posted by Archos in Irvine, CA on October 8, 2003 at 2:15 PM (CDT)

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I sent in an inquiry after my 1G 10 gig died last week, but based on my description of what went wrong, he said he didn’t have the components (at this time) needed to fix it. So I’m waiting to hear back.

In the mean time, I bought a 2G 10 gig at compusa.com for $229.88. It was still cheaper than sending my out-of-warrantee 1G into Apple.

Posted by teelinger in Irvine, CA on October 8, 2003 at 5:18 PM (CDT)

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I just sent this guy my ipod for repairs. He seems pretty legit so far. I’ll let you guys know how it goes! :-)

Posted by Seth C. in Irvine, CA on October 21, 2003 at 3:05 PM (CDT)

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This dude is awsome. he fixed my unfixable ipod for half of what Apple would charge! He’s a great contact, and a nice guy. The work he did on my ipod was pretty major and i thought it would be unfixable. If you are considering sending your ipod to apple…try this guy first!

Posted by Seth C. in Irvine, CA on October 27, 2003 at 4:41 PM (CST)

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This is correct folks. I can fix the un-fixable! If you would like to waste your money with apple go ahead, but I charge less and have a very fast turn around time. I can fix most iPods (3rd generation LCD’s are hard to come by people) Just saying that because the 3rd gen LCD’s seem to be the biggest problem. If anyone else would like to contact me about any types of iPod repairs please do, the door is open.

P.S. I do have an inside door to apple parts as I have access to most part #‘s and can get generic parts that work just as well as the original. I am an experienced technician and love to help people. It not only helps you, but it is helping me do something I love as well.

Posted by cyanideg2 in Irvine, CA on October 29, 2003 at 7:48 PM (CST)

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My ipod is 14 months old, 2 months out of warrenty. Cost $249.00 to fix! The harddrive went. I am going to ship it to Steve Jobs and telling him to keep it. I would like to ship him 1,000 defective ipods. If anyone else has a $300.00 paper weight, mail it to me and I will ship them all to Apple in one large box.white of course. They should last longer than a year. Send me an email and I will send you my mailing address.
Take this ipod and shove it!!!

Posted by Strossgang in Irvine, CA on November 6, 2003 at 9:56 PM (CST)